Danessa Rivera (The Philippine Star)
- October 21, 2018 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The National
Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is upgrading its transmission facilities
in Aklan to improve the network’s resiliency in the province and to meet the
growing power requirements of the province, particularly Boracay.
NGCP said it is reinforcing its
power transmission services in Aklan with the construction of its
Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay 138-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line project since the
area is currently being served by a single 69-kV line.
The project, estimated to cost P4.27
billion, is expected to be completed by March 2021, barring delays.
Boracay Island is projected to see
continuous growth in power consumption, according to Aklan Electric Cooperative
Inc. (AKELCO), the electric cooperative servicing the area.
This requires an additional power
transmission avenue to be built to secure the stability and continuous flow of
power to residents and businesses in the area.
NGCP said the new line would
traverse through the municipalities of Nabas and Malay.
The project includes the
construction of a new 138-kV submarine cable between Caticlan and Boracay in
order to support the existing line and to increase the resiliency of the
transmission system to and from the island.
An underground 69-kV transmission
line from Boracay to Manoc-manoc, and another 138-kV transmission line from
Caticlan to Nabas will also be built to add to the amount of power flowing to
these areas, and secure the integrity of the transmission system.
NGCP will also simultaneously
upgrade its Nabas and Boracay substations to accommodate the increase in power
capacity.
Last Oct. 1, NGCP met with
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to ask support for the Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay
project and the upgrade of the Nabas and Boracay substations.
It also sought for the expedition of
environmental permits such as environmental compliance certificates, tree
cutting permits, and special land use permits for critical projects such as the
Cebu-Negros-Panay transmission line project, and the Mindanao-Visayas
interconnection project.
Acknowledging the need for uninterrupted
power throughout the country, Cimatu expressed his support to NGCP’s programs
and operations in the newly-opened Boracay Island. NGCP, on the other
hand, pledged to fully comply to all requirements of DENR.
NGCP continues to appeal to the
local government of Aklan, national government units, energy stakeholders in
the area, and the public, to continue to support the project for its swift,
uninterrupted, and timely completion.
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